NEW DELHI: Clearing the final hurdle for implementation of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail, the upper house of the Parliament Rajya Sabha on Friday voted against the motion to withdraw it. While 123 MPs opposed the motion to withdraw FDI, 109 were in favour.

With the Samajhwadi Party staging a walk-out, UPA II required less number of votes for defeating BJP's motion. Commenting on his party's move to abstain from voting Mulayam Singh Yadav said, "Farmers are in a fix when their produce is not sold. So we have to see this issue carefully."

Samajwadi Party, which has nine members in the House, staged a walkout expressing dissatisfaction over Commerce Minister Anand Sharma's reply.

The defeat of the motion moved by AIADMK member V Maitreyan in the Rajya Sabha came two days after the Lok Sabha voted out a similar motion, paving the way for entry of global supermarkets like Walmart into the country.

The government's victory in Rajya Sabha, where UPA lacks a majority of its own, came with the help of 15-member BSP, which had walked out of the Lok Sabha during voting on the issue. UPA has 94 members in the Upper House which has an effective strength of 244.

Sachin Tendulkar, nominated member who is playing test match in Kolkata, Murli Deora (Cong), who is unwell, and rebel BJD leader Pyari Mohan Mahapatra were absent.

Earlier on Friday Anand Sharma attacked the perception of FDI in multi-brand retail reducing people of the country to 'sales boys & girls'. Sharma said that this sends a wrong message to those who earn a living from selling goods.

"Fear is being created that small kirana stores will be badly hit by this policy," he stormed at Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley. He even went on to question the vegetable wastage figure cited by Jaitley in the Parliament.

"India is the only country that compulsorily introduced minimum 30% sourcing," said Sharma, while defending the case for allowing FDI. "If there is a policy it will be implemented," he added.

Opposition NDA and estranged UPA ally Trinamool Congress criticised the decision to allow FDI in multi-brand retail, saying government has surrendered to crony capitalism and feared that the policy will spell doom for farmers and small traders.Â Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari dispensed with Question Hour "as a rarest of rare cases" to resume discussion on the the motion moved by V Maitreyan (AIADMK) rejecting the government's decision to allow FDI in multi-brand retail.

Earlier, leaders of political parties and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kamal Nath requested for doing away with the Question Hour to resume discussion on the issue.

Shivanand Tiwari (JD-U) said some top economists in the government were associated with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, the two multi-lateral agencies propagating the cause of foreign investment.

"IMF, World Bank, WTO, Asian Development Bank (ADB) run economic policy of the world," Tiwari said adding the nation's future was being impacted by their policies.

Sukhendu Sekhar Roy (TMC) said FDI was "foreign direct intrusion" and accused Commerce Minister Anand Sharma of "deliberately" misleading the House and the country on the issue.

"FDI may be starting in only 53 cities but it will spread all over the country and traders will be finished," he said, adding, "This government has totally surrendered to crony capitalism" and the country was run to "please White House."

Shanta Kumar (BJP) said foreign investment cannot be ignored and multi-nation trade was essential. "But how FDI is allowed should be decided keeping the country's interest in mind," he said.

Balwinder Singh Bhunder (SAD) said FDI is not a charitable trust and will spell doom for the farmers. FDI will not save the country but mortgage the nation. "Neither farmers nor traders will be saved... desh ko bachao, FDI to bhagao (save the country by banishing FDI)," he said.

"If farmers have to be saved, inputs like seed, fertiliser and diesel have to be made cheaper," he said.